'It drives you' - Luke O'Nien discusses competition as Sunderland bolster defensive ranks

Luke O'Nien says he isn't worried about growing competition within the Sunderland defensive ranks.

O'Nien, 28, is about to enter his sixth season at Sunderland. And his last season was arguably his best - he played in a number of roles and earned plaudits for his commitment and his overall performance levels.

He spent much of the season playing in defence, often in the middle owing to injuries to the likes of Dan Ballard and Aji Alese.

But with both of those returning to fitness this summer, and with added competition from the likes of summer signings Nectarios Triantis and Jenson Seelt, O'Nien now faces some fresh competition for a starting berth.

Speaking to Chronicle Live though, O'Nien says that he welcomes the added competition.

He said:

"There’s competition at centre-half, but there's been competition everywhere ever since I've been at the club and I think that's healthy and good to have. It drives you forward.

"Competition has always driven me forward, so I'm really looking forward to the new boys coming in. If we're keeping each other out of them, that's good because it's competitive and it means we’re doing well.

"As long as the club is going forward and we're winning, I don't care who is wearing that shirt. It's about the club moving in the right direction."

O'Nien is definitely viewed as one of the more reliable and experienced players in the side now.

He's had his critics in the past but he's steadily become a fan favourite and a dependable member of Tony Mowbray's side, and it'll be interesting to see who starts in defence next season.

There's still Danny Batth but he faces an uncertain summer, so a partnership of O'Nien and Ballard could start next season, providing the latter makes fitness.

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